Google The Unplanned Homeschooler

Thursday, November 20, 2014

Embrace change, become a butterfly

Sometimes we seek change and welcome it readily, and sometimes it is thrust upon us. For many of us, the decision to homeschool involved change, and often a response to changes over which we had no control.


Butterflies are such a beautiful portrait of change fully embraced. They, like so many other insects, live their early lives in a state much different from what they will eventually become. As caterpillars, butterflies inch along, focused mainly on eating whatever plant material they can reach, and eventually, as the approach maturity, on building their cocoon. 

It's a simple life, but one to which they are accustomed. That is, until everything changes.

Emerging in their adult form, butterflies have a whole new diet. They move in a whole new way. Their entire world is expanded, as suddenly the impetus to mate and to migrate, perhaps over thousands of miles, becomes a priority. The challenges they faced as a caterpillar are different than those they face as a butterfly, but so are the rewards.

I don't think caterpillars spend a lot of time or energy focused on their lives before the change. I think, instead, they fully embrace their new existence and move ahead, because they aren't likely to ever go back to the way life was before their change.

Homeschooling successfully takes almost as determined a mindset. If a bully was making your kids' lives miserable before, leave them behind and embrace new friends. If the curriculum was holding your child  down, put it behind you and set your child soaring with a curriculum that fits. If mama drama had you tied up in knots, celebrate your freedom and fly!

In other words, acknowledge the change that brought you to where you are today, but don't dwell on the past. Embrace your metamorphosis, and be the beautiful butterfly you were always meant to be. 



Wednesday, November 12, 2014

The best places to find bargains on old books

Several kids from our homeschool group volunteered with the Friends of the Library book sale at our local library today. They hauled boxes of books and helped set up the room for the big sale, which begins tomorrow. Of course, I couldn't resist taking a peek at the great books that the library had put aside to sell, and of course, I found a box full of selections I just had to take home with me.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/abee5/8314929977

I love books, especially old books. I'm so thankful for used books, and for the many ways they find new homes. I've found awesome old books in so many places. Here are a few favorites.

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Halloween parties are my favorite homeschool events

Yesterday, our homeschool group had our fifth annual Halloween party, and like each year before, it was our biggest and most popular party by far. We love having parties for the kids. We do Christmas parties, Valentine's Day parties, Easter parties, etc. But it's Halloween that always draws the biggest and most enthusiastic crowds.

Roughly two-thirds of the guests at our Halloween party this year.

Here are a few reasons why Halloween parties are my personal favorite homeschool event of the year, and why your group might want to consider hosting one next year, too.

The weather is usually awesome


Late October, at least in Oklahoma, is almost always mild enough to sit outdoors in nothing heavier than a sweater and sometimes in just t-shirts and jeans. But it's cool enough that we aren't plagued by mosquitoes and flies, and the kids keep their costumes on for at least enough time to get a group picture before deciding they are too hot and stripping down to their play clothes.

Kids get to show their creative sides


I love seeing all the cool costumes on the kids in our group, and especially being able to talk to the kids and hear why they picked the outfits they decided to wear. This year we had historic characters, animals, modern real-life heroes, characters from movies, monsters, and more.

One thing I really like is that kids don't have to censor their costumes like they might in schools. The young police officer carried his side arm, the Civil War soldier carried his rifle, Merida was armed with her bow, the pirate queens held daggers, and Fin from "Sharknado" had his bloody chainsaw, just in case. There were many battles waged on the playground this year, but no one was injured in the melee.  

The food is fun


Halloween themed cookies, cupcakes and other treats make for a very festive array of snacks, and because everyone is not exhausted from holiday cooking that is still a few weeks away, they're excited to bring creative goodies to share.

There are treats aplenty


We always ask kids to bring candy or other treats to share with their friends, and a bag or bucket to collect their own. With 55 children at our party yesterday, there were so many treats some kids' bags wouldn't even hold them all!

Everyone has a great time


Our Halloween parties always seem to go on for hours and hours, and this year was no different. It's just so good to sit and visit with the other parents while the kids play imaginatively, go on expeditions together, and sneak pieces of candy from their buckets. Because the Halloween party is always our biggest event, we get to meet new members each year, too.  

Nearly 90 people attended our party this year. We ended the day exhausted, but happy, and really looking forward to the good times to come.


Tuesday, October 21, 2014

New homeschoolers, don't throw in the towel!

This year, I have seen far more new homeschoolers than ever before. But just a couple of months into the school year, so many are already frustrated to the point of considering giving up. and sending their kids back to school.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/mac_filko/5491689178


If you are among those ready to call it quits, because homeschooling is so much harder than you thought it would be, I just want to tell you, don't throw in that towel. Homeschooling is hard, but it's going to get easier.

We've all been there


I've been there. We've all been there! There's a wall that no one tells you about, that you hit a few weeks or a few months into homeschooling, where you just don't know if you made the right decision at all. Your carefully chosen curriculum isn't working for your kids, your kids are pushing your every button, you feel like you're getting no support, and you can't remember why you thought homeschooling was a good idea in the first place.

The reason you hardly ever hear about this is simple...

Monday, October 20, 2014

Last minute Halloween party activities

So, you're getting ready for a Halloween party, but you have no idea what sort of games and activities to plan? Here are a few easy and fun ideas you can put together in no time! Don't worry if it's last minute, you can still plan some great activities in a single afternoon.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/74568665@N03/10742418385


Poison Pumpkin


This variation of hot potato is so simple, and you probably have all the supplies you need already on hand. All you need is a small or mini pumpkin and some spooky, suspenseful music. You can carve the pumpkin and light with an LED tea light, or leave the pumpkin intact.

Get everyone in a circle, except for one lucky volunteer, who will be in charge of starting and stopping the music randomly. Begin passing the poison pumpkin around, from person to person. Start the music, and whoever is holding the ghoulish gourd when the music stops is dead. Continue on until there is but one survivor.

Reconstructing Mr. Bones


Mr. Bones is in an awful shape. His pieces have been scattered all over, and it's up to your party guests to find them and put him back together the way he belongs. This fun game is part scavenger hunt, part biology lesson, and all perfectly fun for Halloween!

Print the pieces for this large skeleton for free on Games Crafts Coloring, and then hide them carefully. Print up a list of clues for your guests to follow to find the bones. Have a crowd? Make multiple copies, color code the pieces of each skeleton with a dot, and divide your crowd into teams to see who can reconstruct Mr. Bones first.

Indoor fun for everyone


One of the trickiest parts of planning a fall party is dealing with the weather. What happens if your outdoor party suddenly has to move inside out of the cold or the rain? Well, I am prepared for such an occasion this year, because my friend, Fran Wisniewski, from Fran's World of Discovery, gave me a preview copy of her "13 Haunted Halloween Activities" guide. With games, printables and tons of resources, this guide will come in very handy, especially if I find myself needing some quick and easy last minute activities I can pull together quickly.

Whether you're planning a party, or just entertaining your kids with Halloween themed fun, this guide is full of ideas you'll like. I think my favorite is one of the simplest: Captured in a Haunted House. It's a game that takes no more than a pencil and paper, and could be easily help pass the time at the doctor's office, in a restaurant and more.

Disclosure: My copy of this activity guide was a gift, without any agreement to write a review, but I liked it a lot, so I'm sharing with my readers! 

Sunday, October 19, 2014

Homeschoolers become zombies to fight breast cancer!

This week, several members of my local homeschool group volunteered in the Thriller at Tenkiller 5K zombie run, hosted by the Beta Sigma Phi, Delta Kappa chapter at Northeastern State University. We were among the spooky, undead creatures whose duty it was to inspire the contestants to run for their lives.



This isn't the first time members of our homeschool group have engaged in community service and given their time for a good cause, but it certainly might have been the most fun!

On the morning of the race, my youngest woke up and practically leapt from her bed, exclaiming, "It's ZOMBIE DAY!" Indeed it was.





There are great opportunities in virtually every community for your kids to make a difference in the lives of others. And those opportunities not only give your family a chance to serve others, they give you ways to create unforgettable memories together!

We appreciate the ladies of Beta Sigma Phi letting us participate in this year's zombie run. We hope we helped make it a fun event for the runners, and that they will be encouraged to return next year and raise even more money to help local women who are battling breast cancer.
















Monday, October 6, 2014

For the love of old dictionaries

One of my favorite books, when I was growing up, was an old, brown dictionary, at least three inches thick and older than my mother. It had been hers as long as she could remember. The cover was worn, and the spine was fragile. Any and every word I could think of was contained within the hundreds of delicate pages.

Someday, when my mother is gone, I will treasure her old dictionary, not only for the information it contains, but for the memories it holds.

This week, I read a post from a fellow homeschooler on Facebook. His 10-year-old son had found a 100-year-old dictionary at a used book store for $1, and stayed up late into the night looking up words. I loved the photo of this young man, immersed in his antique dictionary so much, I asked his dad if I could share it here. Look what great condition this old book is still in today!

Photo by Shane D. Manley

My own kids have good quality collegiate dictionaries, which I started them using very soon after they learned to read. Teaching them how to look up words the old fashioned way, without Google or an handheld device was not easy, but I felt that it was important that they have that tool at their disposal.

I hope hard bound, paper dictionaries never die. There is something special about using them. Maybe it's knowing that others before you have turned the same pages, perhaps to find the same words. Maybe it's being able to seamlessly browse and wander, learning new words you never set out to find. Or maybe it's knowing that if the grid ever went down, you'd have the skills to navigate through the building blocks of out language, in alphabetical order, without fumbling to find your way.

Whatever it is, I love dictionaries, especially old, well used ones. Do you?